Janurary 19, 2026
By Nourbese Flint, President
Abortion access was forced into the margins of American life. It was whispered about in back rooms and treated as something too controversial to name out loud. We changed that. Its time to evolve
For decades, abortion access was forced into the margins of American life. It was whispered about in back rooms, coded in euphemisms, and treated as something too controversial to name out loud. Through sustained organizing, cultural work, and political and personal courage, we changed that. We brought abortion out of the cold and onto the main stage of American democracy—so much so that it became a central issue in presidential debates and national elections. That was no small feat. It was a necessary one.
But movements, like nations, must evolve.
The political terrain has shifted, and so must our strategy. While naming abortion plainly and unapologetically was essential, continuing to treat it as a standalone issue now plays into the hands of our opposition. They benefit when abortion is isolated, exceptionalized, and framed as a niche concern rather than what it truly is: healthcare. Essential, routine, life-affirming, life-saving healthcare—and a core part of maternal health in America.
It is time to bring abortion back into the healthcare conversation.
When abortion is carved out from the broader healthcare system, it becomes easier to attack, restrict, and stigmatize. That isolation is not accidental—it is strategic. By singling out abortion as something separate, opponents have worked to portray it as a “special interest” rather than a standard medical service that millions of people need and use across their lifetimes. This framing distorts reality and undermines public understanding of abortion care, while putting advocates and activists on the backfoot when it comes to fighting for the kind of comprehensive, basic health care people deserve
In truth, abortion care exists on the same continuum as prenatal care, miscarriage management, fertility treatment, and postpartum care. It is provided by trained clinicians, governed by medical standards, and sought by patients making deeply personal decisions about their health, their families, and their futures. To deny this care is not to take a moral stance—it is to interfere in medical decision-making and to erode the integrity of healthcare itself.
Reframing abortion as healthcare is not about downplaying its significance. It is about grounding it in reality. Most Americans already understand this intuitively. They may not all agree on every aspect of abortion policy, but they overwhelmingly believe that medical decisions should be made by patients and providers—not politicians. They understand that healthcare access is a matter of dignity, autonomy, and fairness. Our task is to meet people where they already are and to speak clearly, confidently, and consistently about what abortion actually is.
This shift also allows us to tell a fuller, truer story about freedom.
Healthcare is not a side issue in American life—it is foundational. The ability to care for oneself, to decide whether and when to have children, and to survive pregnancy and childbirth safely is inseparable from the promise of liberty. A country that claims to value freedom cannot simultaneously deny people control over their own bodies and health. When abortion access is restricted, it is not just reproductive freedom that is harmed; it is economic security, family stability, racial and gender equity, and democratic participation.
And this moment demands that we think bigger than any single policy fight.
As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, we have a rare opportunity to reassert and reimagine what America’s promise truly means. Anniversaries invite reflection—but they also invite recommitment. They ask us not only where we have been, but where we are going.
What would it mean to enter America’s next quarter-millennium with a clear commitment to healthcare as a fundamental right? What would it say about our values if we recognized that abortion access is not an exception to American ideals, but an expression of them?
Making abortion access part of the broader conversation about healthcare—and about the rights and responsibilities of a democratic society—is not a retreat. It is a maturation. It is the next phase of a movement that understands that freedom is strongest when it is woven into systems, not left to stand alone and vulnerable.
We did the hard work of naming abortion out loud. Now we must do the strategic work of situating it where it belongs – in the spectrum of pregnancy care, squarely in the healthcare debate.
Abortion is healthcare. Healthcare is a fundamental American right. And as we approach 250 years of this nation’s experiment in democracy, we have both the responsibility and the opportunity to ensure that America’s promise finally includes the health, autonomy, and dignity of everyone.